The Cream of Cabarrus rankings are back. Award-winning sports journalist Jemal Horton and I created the rankings several years ago at the Independent Tribune. Jemal created the rankings, and I mostly helped with the name.
A year ago, Jay M. Robinson was king.
That’s where we’ll start today. Jay M. Robinson is unbeaten and has outscored its opponents 107-2 headed into Friday, Sept. 18. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of the Bulldogs’ offense.
Right now, there’s one other team that seems capable of being on top – the A.L. Brown Wonders. And like the Bulldogs, the Wonders will get better as the season progresses.
The Wonders could easily be #1, but right now I’m going with Robinson #1 and A.L. Brown #2. The rest of the Cream is a toss-up and clearly fighting for #3.
Here is what we have:
#1 Jay M. Robinson (3-0) – The Bulldogs play at East Rowan (2-1) in the South Piedmont Conference (SPC) opener for both teams. Robinson is a clear, multi-touchdown favorite in this one.
#2 A.L. Brown (3-0) – The Wonders travel to Harding University (1-2) in Charlotte. Don’t let the “university” in the name fool you. A.L. Brown should roll to open Great Metro Athletic Conference (GMAC) play.
#3 Mount Pleasant (3-1) – The Tigers are looking to bounce back after a loss to South Point last week. Mount Pleasant is at West Davidson. I favor Mount in this game, but it will be a tough non-conference road game.
#4 Hickory Ridge (2-1) – The Ragin’ Bulls travel a few miles up the road to Central Cabarrus in the GMAC opener for both teams. Central has been strong on defense, and Hickory Ridge has been winning with offense. I think home-field advantage for the Vikings makes this one a toss-up.
#5 Cannon-Concord Academy (4-0) – It’s hard to know how tough Cannon’s competition has been. The team clearly has an outstanding quarterback and a core of players who could play for anyone. It is a bye week.
#6 Northwest Cabarrus (2-1) – Before the trip to Ashbrook, I would have ranked the Trojans #3 and maybe even a challenger for #2. The 40-0 loss in Gastonia gave me some pause. Maybe it was a blip on the radar. Northwest hosts South Rowan (3-0) in the SPC opener for both teams. The Raiders have outscored opponents 140-26. If I were feeling mean, I would say South Rowan has played the “Sisters of the Poor” to this point. Northwest should win this one, but it could be close.
What about the rest?
Central Cabarrus (1-2) lost both its games by three points. The Vikings need more offense and fewer turnovers. They lost to Mount 3-0 and Northwest 27-24 in OT.
Cox Mill (1-2) started the season rough against Marvin Ridge, but bounced back with a win over Rocky River and had a competitive game with Cuthbertson last week. The Chargers open up GMAC play against the defending GMAC champion Olympic. I’m going to be a homer here and say Cox Mill will win.
West Cabarrus (0-3) hasn’t scored since the opening loss to Northwest. The opponents were good: Robinson 37-0 and Lake Norman 49-0. Phillip O. Berry comes to West to open the GMAC. POBAT (one of the most interesting acronyms in the area) comes in 2-1 but hasn’t played a tough schedule. West Cabarrus scores this week and maybe wins.
Concord (1-2) got pounded by Mount Pleasant and Kannapolis to open the season, then took out some frustration on North Gaston in a 42-0 win. This week, West Rowan (2-1) hosts the Spiders. West isn’t as good as A.L. Brown and probably not as good as Mount. West at home has to be the favorite. Here’s a wildcard – there is buzz that the Spiders have a private school quarterback who might play tonight.
Next week, I’ll try to get the rankings out by midweek. Let me know what you think.
Our spotlight game
Radio Free Cabarrus will broadcast Hickory Ridge at Central Cabarrus on the NFHS Network. Here is the link to the broadcast: Hickory Ridge at Central Cabarrus
James “Red” Melick, Benson Stubb and Mark Plemmons bring you the action.
Visit Radio Free Cabarrus/485 Sports’ YouTube channel for highlights from other games.
